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Former U.S. Marine Lt. Col. and political commentator Oliver North will be at Barnes & Noble in Palm Beach Gardens this afternoon signing copies of his new novel, Counterfeit Lies.

North became a household name in the 1980s for his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal affair, which involved the Reagan administration secretly enabling Iran to obtain weapons in exchange for Iranian influence in obtaining the release of U.S. hostages held in Lebanon.

North has been critical of the recent deal in which the U.S. released five Taliban leaders in exchange for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity in Afghanistan. In a phone interview Tuesday while traveling between stops in Jacksonville and The Villages, North rejected comparisons between the Bergdahl swap and the 1980s arms-for-hostages negotiations.

“These guys are vicious killers and it’s either blissfully naïve or just plain stupid,” North said of the prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay.

As for the 1980s deal, North said: “The way that worked had nothing to do with releasing any terrorists from anywhere. No Americans got killed anywhere (as a result).”

“I enjoy writing books. I enjoy meeting the people who read my books. I especially enjoy meeting the people who buy my books,” North said. And the fact that several have been bestsellers “drives the people at the New York Times crazy. That’s part of the fun of it.”